Broken
by labellebeaucoup
Summary: Bella is on a dangerous downward spiral after her parents' divorce. One that lands her in Forks, Washington with her estranged father. When she meets the mysterious, quiet Edward, she begins to believe that maybe she can call Forks home.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – This story takes place at the beginning of Twilight and it will deviate from the main storyline quite a bit. This story will deal with divorce – Bella's parents, of course. Bella's parents' divorce will be more prominent in this story than in the novels or movie. **

**The story line does run parallel with the novels and movies and the Cullen family will be vampires. No humans here, sorry. Well, except for Bella…and most everyone else in Forks. **

**For anyone unfamiliar with my writing, I do make a soundtrack of songs that I either listen to or inspire me for my chapters and most chapter titles are either taken from song titles or from song lyrics. For this particular story, the main theme is "Broken Home" by Papa Roach. – G.**

* * *

_Broken_

_Chapter One:_

_All Alone_

_**Prologue:**_

"Alright Bella," A stocky, dark-haired boy shouted from the circle that had gathered around the short, brown haired girl chugging shot after shot of tequila. The boys and girls were smacking their hands together, creating loud noises of applause as the tiny girl in front of them downed the clear liquid in the glasses.

"Bella! Bella! Bella," Someone started in the back, complete with fist pumping. The noise in the dirty living room littered with beer cans, empty bottles of alcohol, and bags of marijuana; continued to grow. No one noticed that the small brunette's pupils were growing larger by the minute. No one noticed that her breathing had slowed until it was barely a gasp every ten seconds. And no one noticed that her skin was slowly losing its color; turning a ghastly pale blue.

The occupants in the room jumped at the sound of a loud crash. The looked to the table, finding it turned on its side and the shot glasses lying on the wooden floor in hundreds of tiny pieces. Amongst the glass, Isabella Swan lay face down, her hand bleeding from the impact with a shard of glass.

A group of guys rushed forward, some shouting for an ambulance to be called while others rolled Bella onto her back. Her eyes were tightly closed, her breathing shallow. They tried shaking her, saying her name. Despite their efforts, she still would not open her eyes.

"Bella," One of the girls shouted, putting her hands on the unconscious teenager's shoulders and shaking. There was still no response.

Sirens were heard outside the home as the group continued taking turns attempting to wake their friend. Paramedics in blue uniforms rushed in, shoving the stunned group out of their way. They knelt beside Bella, working to place an oxygen mask over her face. Her breathing had only begun to grow shallower.

One of the paramedics, a tall, red-headed man, lifted Bella and placed her on the blue gurney they had brought with them. The second paramedic, a petite blonde, wrapped a white blanket around Bella's body before helping the man strap her in. They quickly rolled the gurney to the ambulance and began the short journey to Phoenix Children's Hospital.

At the hospital, Bella was rushed to a room where a doctor and nurses quickly worked on a tracheostomy before performing the necessary operation of pumping her stomach. After they had managed to regulate her breathing and blood alcohol levels, the nurses began looking for contact information.

Going through Bella's jacket, the nurses finally found her cellphone. They went through the call log, hitting the one that simply said 'mom'. It wasn't long before a frantic Renée Dwyer answered on the other line.

"Bella, where **are **you?" Her voice was high, frantic as it came through the phone speaker.

"Is this Isabella Swan's mother?" The nurse asked, politely.

"Oh dear," Renée groaned, her voice shaking, "Who is this?"

"Mrs. Swan…" The nurse began.

"Mrs. Dwyer."

"My apologies, Mrs. Dwyer," The nurse tried again, tightening her hold on the phone. She didn't like to deliver this kind of news to a parent, "Isabella is currently at Children's Hospital. She was brought here for alcohol poisoning and we have been treating her since one this morning."

"Is she okay? Why am I just _now _getting this call?" Renée demanded, her voice raising another octave.

"Mrs. Dwyer, as I said, your daughter had alcohol poisoning and we were not able to locate contact information before now," The nurse explained, keeping her voice soft and even. She had two teenage daughters of her own and could imagine how she would react to this kind of information. It would be heartbreaking for any mother.

"I'm on my way." With that, Renée slammed her phone shut and headed jumped out of bed, waking her husband of two years, Phil.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Phil asked, sitting up in bed and watching as his wife was pulling blue jeans and t-shirt from the closet.

"Bella's in the hospital." The response was tense as she yanked her jeans over her hips, quickly buttoning and zipping them.

"Why?" Phil questioned more, getting out of bed himself and beginning to pull clothes on. Though she was his step-daughter, Phil cared for Bella because of her affiliation with his wife.

"Alcohol poisoning." She continued to pull her clothes on, stopping to find a pair of slip-on shoes she could wear. Phil dressed as quickly as she had, dropping the rest of his questions for her sake. She appeared to be on the verge of a breakdown.

Phil grabbed his keys from the peg by the door and ushered Renée out. He helped her into the car – she was shaking too hard to be able to climb in by herself. She sat in silence on the way to the hospital, unwilling to carry on any conversation that Phil attempted to start.

She rested her head against the cool glass, watching the city pass by in a blur. She felt numb. What had she done to her daughter that would force her to act out this way? What had _they _done?

Her thoughts turned to her ex-husband. They had divorced eight years ago, when Bella was nine. It felt like a relief to her and Charlie once they had signed those papers. There had been nothing but fighting amongst the two for several years. It was painful for both of them and they agreed it couldn't have been good for Bella.

Charlie had remarried a year ago. If Bella was unhappy when Renée married Paul, she was irate when Charlie remarried. He had invited his only child to his wedding only to have her hang up the phone, tear the invitation, and slam her bedroom door in her mother's face. She still had not warmed to the idea of her father's new wife; hadn't even met her.

"Renée!" Slowly she blinked her eyes, snapping out of her thoughts and staring blankly at her husband. He stood before her, waving a hand in front of her face as he tried coaxing her out of the vehicle. She shook her head, trying to clear the fog from her brain, and placed her hand in his – allowing him to lead her to the ER entrance.

They found Bella, paler than normal, sleeping in a tiny bed near the back of the long hospital wing they had been directed to. Renée felt her legs wobble and Phil reached out to wrap an arm around her waist, preventing her from collapsing to the floor. Tears began streaming down her face as she the still form of her only child.

* * *

"_Who calls someone at three in the morning?" _That thought resonated through Charlie Swan's groggy, sleep laden brain as he tossed the covers from his body and stalked, angrily, toward the phone that sat on the oak dresser.

"Hello?" His tone wasn't kind. He snuck a look at Gianna, his wife of a little over a year. She was still sleeping peacefully, her hair spread out over the pillow and her hand on her not so flat abdomen. They had found out they were expecting a little over three months ago.

"Charlie?" That voice gave him pause. He wasn't expecting to hear his ex-wife and he sure wasn't expecting to hear her voice at three in the morning. His thoughts instantly went to his daughter. What had happened to Bella?

"Renée? Where's Bella? What's wrong?" Charlie fired the questions off a mile a minute.

"Oh Charlie," Renée sniffled, on the verge of tears, "Bella is in the hospital…alcohol…poisoning."

"Calm down. You aren't making any sense. What happened?" He tried again, hoping that he would get a more accurate answer this time and not the jumbled mess he had just received.

"She was at a party with her friends…I told her she could go…I gave her permission." More rambling, although this time it seemed to have some direction. Charlie sighed, took one final look at his sleeping wife, and carried the phone out of the bedroom. He padded down the wooden stairs and headed for the large, glass sliding door at the back of the house, opening it and stepping out on the deck.

The night air was cool against his bare chest and the smell of rain was heavy. Rarely did it not rain in Forks. Luckily, the drizzle had died down for the moment.

"What happened at the party?" Charlie probed, knowing that that had to have something to do with Bella's condition.

"She obviously drank too much if she's been hospitalized for alcohol poisoning," Renée snapped, still sniffling.

"How is she now?" He had to know. He hadn't been the best father recently. He had been conspicuously absent for the last nine years. He only saw his daughter on occasion and most of the time; she tried her best to get away from him.

"She's fine _now_. I…I wanted to ask you for a favor." Charlie furrowed his eyebrows. His daughter was in the hospital, possibly could have _died_, and she was asking for a favor? He sighed and reminded himself to hear her out before he started yelling.

"What?"

"I don't like the idea of Bella being around her so called friends anymore. She needs away from them. Away from this city. It obviously isn't doing her any favors," Renée stated.

"What are you asking?" Dare he hope that she was asking what he thought? That she wanted him to take Bella in? A smile spread across his face at the thought of having his only, soon to be oldest, child stay with him.

But he would have to ask Gianna first. He didn't expect her to say no, but you never know.

"You want Bella to stay with me?"

"Can she?"

"We would love to have her. Of course, I have to ask Gianna first."

"Oh," She sounded disappointed. She had hoped that he would agree right away and take her mind off what had happened. Different scenarios of future incidents ran through her head if she allowed Bella to stay in Phoenix. She couldn't do it.

"I'll call back in the morning." With that, he hung up the phone and reentered the house. He made his way back to his room – a large smile on his face and the determination to speak to Gianna in the morning about Bella's possible relocation.


	2. Chapter 2

_Broken_

_Chapter Two_

_There's Nothing Inside_

**Phoenix, Arizona:**

"What is _he _doing here?" Bella pointed an accusatory finger in the direction of her father as she entered the living room to find him sitting in the grey armchair.

"Sweetie, you're going to spend the summer with your father," Renée explained, standing from her seat on the sofa and moving toward her daughter.

"What? No!" Bella's loud screech was enough to make Phil and Charlie cover their ears. Renée inched even closer, unruffled by Bella's high pitch.

"You need time away from here, Bella." Renée's voice was soft, but firm. She didn't want to argue with Bella, but she couldn't let her stay. Not with the friends that she had recently started hanging out with still lurking around.

"What about my friends? What about you and Phil?" She tried grasping on to anything she could think of; anything that would cause her mother to rethink what she was asking her to do.

"Phil and I want you to have a vacation. Away from your friends. They're bad influences, Bella." Renée tried reasoning, but was beginning to realize it was futile. She could only hope that Charlie would step up because she wasn't any good at arguing. She was the one who had chosen to become Bella's friend after the divorce and act less like a mother.

"Bella, this isn't an option. You are spending the summer with me and Gianna." Charlie glowered at his daughter. There was a time in his life when he could have been considered a push-over. A time when he let most everybody walk over him. But that was before Gianna. He was a changed man because of her.

"I'm not going." Bella crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself and glaring at the adults in the room, though mostly at her father and his ridiculous demand.

"Isabella," He _never _called her that and it only made her glare harden, willing him to spontaneously combust, "You are going if I have to physically restrain you in the vehicle. The best thing for you to do at the moment is to march back into your bedroom and pack your suitcase before I do it myself."

She huffed, standing there with a conflicted look on her face as she tried to think of her next move. She didn't know what she should do.

"Now, Bella," Charlie ordered, causing her to jump and storm back down the hall to her bedroom. The sound of the door slamming shut made Renée jump. She sighed and slumped down on the sofa beside Phil, giving a tight smile when he began rubbing her shoulders

* * *

"I fucking hate them," Bella screeched into her phone causing the blond boy on the other line to cringe and pull his phone from his throbbing eardrum.

"It's just for the summer, right Bells?"

"Really, Miles? Have you ever been to Forks? It rains every damn day. I _can't_ survive there," She whined, jamming anything she could find into a suitcase. She didn't care if anything matched. There was no one to impress in Forks. No one she cared to impress.

"Give it a week?" He suggested, finding it difficult not to laugh at her discomfort, "If you don't like it, text me and I'll come get you."

"I don't think my dad would like that."

"When have you ever cared what your father would like?" Miles mocked her choice of wording, absentmindedly watching the football game that was playing on his television.

"Now you make me want to skip out on him just for the hell of it." She began tossing shoes into another bag, not sure of what she should take.

"Give it a shot before saying fuck it?"

"Nice talk, Miles."

"Any time Bells."

"Talk to you soon."

"Ditto."

She tossed her phone on her bed and ran a hand through her tangled mass of hair, looking at the open suitcases before her. She didn't know what else she should pack or what she was missing. Giving up, she jammed the zippers shut and yanked the suitcases from her bed, lugging them across the floor and to the living room.

Her parents were still sitting where she had left them, talking about nothing in particular. They looked up in shock when Bella slung her suitcases across the carpeted floor. Charlie stood heavily from his chair and picked up a suitcase – one in each hand.

"Ready?" He asked a sullen Bella who shook her head. Renée stood to give her a hug, but Bella swatted her arms away the minute they touched her. She stormed out of the house and to her father's black Escalade.

She threw the door open and slid into the backseat, refusing to sit in the front near her father. Charlie sighed at her errant behavior and tossed her suitcases in the back, giving her a stern look when she slammed her door.

"I would appreciate it if you were less rough on my vehicle," Charlie stated, sliding into the driver's seat and starting the vehicle.

"Hm," Bella replied, plugging headphones into her phone and hitting play on her playlist. She didn't want to continue any conversation with her father. Charlie sighed and slammed the Escalade into reverse.

* * *

"We're almost there," Charlie spoke up once they were within twenty minutes of his house. They had been crammed into the car for almost twenty-two hours. Other than a few pit stops for a restroom, food, or fuel Charlie had made no stops. He was exhausted, but he wanted to get home as soon as he could.

Bella sat up from where she was laying, rubbing her eyes and looking out the windows, confused. She had slept from Idaho and the thick, dark green leaves and falling rain were a far cry from Phoenix. She didn't think she would ever get used to the change in scenery.

"Not much has changed since the last time you were here," Charlie tried making small talk, meeting her gaze in the rearview mirror, "Gianna and I moved into a bigger house. We needed more room for us, the baby, and you when you visit."

"You're having a baby?" She didn't bother to hide her surprise, keeping her gaze locked on her father's.

"Your mom didn't tell you?" Charlie was just as surprised and a little hurt. He had asked Renée to tell Bella that she was going to be an older sister. Bella hadn't answered his calls or texts since he told her he was marrying Gianna. Normally, Renée passed along his messages with little to no questions.

"I think she tried," Bella admitted and Charlie's facial features softened at the knowledge that Renée hadn't withheld the information from his daughter. Bella chewed on her lip, thoughtfully as she contemplated her next words. When she finally spoke up, the quiet, almost demure tone she had used earlier was gone.

"I don't really care."

"The baby will be your sister."

"I. Don't. Care." She jammed her headphones into her ears and cranked up her music, letting her father know that the conversation was over.

Charlie glanced back at her bent, brown head and sighed. Sorrow pulled at the strings of his heart. Where had his upbeat, happy little girl gone? He didn't understand the new, volatile Bella. He shook his head and focused on guiding the Escalade through the rain and to West Main Street where his home and wife were located.

* * *

"Honey, we're back," Charlie called, closing the door with his foot as he dropped Bella's suitcases on the rug in the hallway. Bella stood a few feet in front of him, pulling her sleeves down to cover her hands and letting her thick hair fall over her face.

"I'm coming." The soft, melodious voice caused Bella to look up the staircase, trying to catch a glimpse of her father's wife. She narrowed her eyes when a tall, raven-haired woman appeared at the top of the wooden stairs. Her curly, black hair fell to her shoulders and her bright blue eyes stood out against the darkness of her locks. It was obvious that, had she not been pregnant, she would be rather slender.

She slowly walked down the stairs, holding on to the railing to keep from falling. Her free hand rested on the medium sized bulge under dress and she smiled warmly at Charlie who greeted her with a hug and kiss when her feet finally landed on the floor. When he released her, she turned toward Bella.

"Hi, Bella. It's lovely to meet you," She grinned, moving forward to give Bella a hug as well. For her part, Bella stood there unmoving, a weary look in her eyes. The moment Gianna touched her; she jerked away and practically bolted up the staircase yelling behind her:

"Stay the hell away from me you tramp!"

* * *

**A/N – Thank you for the reviews. The rating for this will be changing. I hadn't realized that I rated this as T. It was supposed to be M. **

**What did you guys think? – G.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N- Thank you to the people who reviewed.**

* * *

_Broken_

_Chapter Three_

_Gone_

"Bella," Charlie called up the stairs. The thin girl had been locked up in her bedroom since she had first stepped foot in his house two weeks ago. She barely came down for meals and returned any plate that Gianna slid into her room almost untouched. She was actively protesting her removal from Phoenix.

"Isabella!" Charlie gritted his teeth, something deep inside told him that it would be better to coax her out, but he wasn't that patient. He had lost every last shred of patience he had with her the moment she had hurled hurtful, false accusations in the hopes of getting a rise out of his new wife. If she wanted to wallow in self-pity then fine, but she wasn't dragging anyone else down with her.

Charlie sighed in agitation before ascending the stairs with heavy steps. It didn't take too many large, angry strides for him to cover the hallway and stand in front of Bella's door. He raised a hand to knock before dropping it back to his side and shaking his head. Why was he knocking on a door in his own home?

His hand went to the doorknob, but he hesitated once more. Would it really do any good to show Bella less respect than what she has shown both him and Gianna since she's been there? He was torn. Part of him wanted to treat Bella how he expected to be treated – to set an example. The other part of him, the part that remembered how his father had treated him, wanted to withhold any forms of courtesy until she earned them. It had worked on him when Geoffrey used the same method.

Finally making up his mind, he twisted the doorknob and entered the dark room. Bella sat at the window seat, headphones covering her ears and a sullen look on her face. She was covered in black, making her pale skin nearly glow.

He scrunched his nose at the sight of the room that Gianna had worked so hard on cleaning and preparing for a teenage girl. Bella had what looked like all the contents of her suitcases strewn across the floor complete with dirty towels from her showers. It looked like a teenage boy's haven.

Stomping toward her, Charlie snatched the headphones from Bella's ears, "Did you not hear me calling your name?"

Bella turned in surprise before her gaze settled on her father, standing there with her headphones dangling from his finger, and her expression turned to anger.

"I heard." Her voice was rough from not having been used for weeks and she tossed her head, moving her eyes back to the window and staring at the slow, steady rainfall.

"And you chose not to answer because…" Charlie wasn't backing down and she didn't know how to take it. She didn't understand this new version of her father. Before, he had always backed down and now…She shook her head. Gianna had changed him and she wasn't sure she liked that. Bella was almost certain that she didn't like it.

"I didn't feel like it?" It wasn't a good excuse. His brown eyes clouded to a near black at her flippant remark. Dealing with Bella was proving to be a more difficult task than he thought it would be.

"You're going to dinner with me and Gianna. Put something suitable on and _no_ black." He didn't say another word, turning on his heel and leaving the bedroom. Bella sat in the window seat for a few minutes longer, staring at the door her father had just walked out.

It took her a while, but eventually she stood from her seat and began scavenging through her room, looking for something to wear.

* * *

"Don't say a word," Gianna whispered to her husband, placing her hand on his forearm in an effort to restrain him as Bella came down the stairs. She was wearing a faded black, laser cut dress with black leggings and combat boots. Her brown hair was a tangled mess that looked like it hadn't had a comb ran through it in a week. Charlie's fury was obvious to all in the room.

"You look lovely." Gianna decided to go the opposite direction of her husband and extend an olive branch to her wayward stepdaughter. Bella spared a quick glance toward her stepmother, crossing her arms over her chest, and stalking past her father to the front door.

"Your stepmother complimented you." Charlie was less than civil with his tone as he remained by the staircase, watching his daughter.

"Thank you," Bella managed to choke out through gritted teeth before pulling the door open and slowly walking to Charlie's vehicle. She yanked the door open, slamming it shut as her father and Gianna clambered into the vehicle themselves.

The ride to the diner in the center of town was short and silent. Bella avoided speaking to either one of the adults with her, instead choosing to stare out the window at the dreary day. She hated the rain. They didn't get a lot of rain in Phoenix and she found with each passing day that she much preferred the sunny climate of home.

"We're almost there." Gianna turned in her seat to smile at Bella only to receive an icy stare in return. The smile froze to her face and she slowly turned back in her seat, stealing a sideway glance at Charlie to see if he had noticed the interaction. He had.

"Bella, a nice word or two won't kill you." Charlie's grip on the steering wheel tightened, his knuckles turning a ghastly white, as he pulled into the parking lot. Bella remained silent. Placing the car in park and shutting the engine off, Charlie turned to look at Bella, promising retribution for her actions, before getting out of the vehicle and heading toward the diner with the other two in tow.

The diner was old, causing Bella to wrinkle her nose at it. It looked like it had been standing for the better part of the last century. Made of large, oak trees that had been put together to resemble a hunting lodge, the diner had a rustic feel.

Inside, the trio was seated at a wooden table with red-cushioned chairs near the back. Conversation was limited while they ate their meals – a sore spot for Charlie. Bella's lack of acceptance was becoming increasingly frustrating.

"So, Bella, how do you like it here?" Gianna tried making small talk in-between bites of food.

Bella raised an eyebrow at her and, after what seemed like several minutes and another failed attempt at getting her to speak, she responded, "It rains all the time."

"I think you'll come to like the rain," Gianna smiled at the first real conversation she was having with Bella since her arrival, "It can be soothing."

"Or it can be gloomy and morbid. I guess it depends on your ou…" Bella stopped mid-sentence, her fork halfway to her mouth, as her dull, brown gaze met with the most unique, other worldly golden gaze she had ever seen in her lifetime. Gianna followed Bella's gaze and smiled.

"I see you have made out the Cullens," She smiled.

"The Cullens?" Bella questioned, refusing to tear her gaze from the one in front of her.

"They moved here last year from Alaska. There's Edward, the one you happen to be oogling," Gianna laughed, finally causing Bella to turn to her with an annoyed expression, "Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, and Alice. They were all adopted by Esme and Carlisle."

"That's…a lot," Bella mumbled, turning her attention back to the door only to find that the mysterious, beautiful Edward had disappeared.


End file.
